Each year, thousands of candidates apply for admission to academic institutions such as undergraduate and graduate schools. Each academic institution, however, typically has substantially fewer open slots to fill with new students than applicants seeking to fill those slots. Accordingly, for most academic institutions, the majority of applicants are denied admission. In order to differentiate between those applicants to whom offers of admission should be extended and those applicants for whom requests for admission should be denied, academic institutions typically compare established criteria with a combination of grade point average (GPA), standardized test scores and demographic profiling to individually evaluate each admissions candidate. Additionally, some academic institutions also consider personal statements, essays, audiovisual material, and the like to further assist in the evaluation process.
In the past, academic institutions have analyzed the admissions pattern of standardized test takers to better characterize particular candidates for admission. For instance, it is well known that many academic institutions, such as law schools, aggressively market particular students who have scored well on the law school admissions test (LSAT). Similarly, some undergraduate colleges solicit applications from those students who have performed well on the scholastic aptitude test (SAT). Still, to date academic institutions have not analyzed the acceptance/denial rate of particular test takers to determine whether certain test takers have heretofore been successful in gaining admission to a desired academic program.
In particular, it can be said that test takers who have received more offers for admission than rejections have associated therewith a GPA and standardized test score sufficient to gain admissions to a select group of academic institutions. Without more, however, it cannot be said whether such a student will be a successful student once enrolled in a desired academic program. Conversely, test takers who have received far more rejections than offers for admission likely have associated therewith a GPA and standardized test score which is insufficient to gain admission to most any of a select group of academic institutions. As before, however, without more it cannot be said whether such a student will be a successful student if enrolled in a desired academic program.
Notwithstanding this reasoning, in view of the overwhelming number of applicants seeking admission to any one academic institution, a great number of admissions officers rely upon standardized testing to at least narrow the field of candidates for whom a more detailed analysis can be applied. For instance, those candidates having standardized test scores and a GPA which far exceed a preferred criteria can be extended an offer of admission without further consideration. Conversely, those candidates having standardized test scores and a GPA falling below a minimum criteria are often afforded mere cursory consideration before being denied admission. In many cases, only those students having standardized test scores and a GPA falling within a preferred range are afforded full admissions committee consideration.
Notably, it is a stated goal of many graduate school admissions officers to take into account attributes in addition to academic prowess that individual applicants can bring to a class. Specifically, many admissions officers aim to assemble the best class, as opposed to simply admitting the “best” individual applicants as measured solely by grades and standardized test scores. This stated aim of admissions officers is frustrated, however, by the natural reliance on standardized test scores and GPAs in order to narrow the field of candidates for whom a more detailed analysis can be applied. Accordingly, many potential students who would otherwise succeed in an academic institution are overlooked in favor of those potential students possessing preferred numeric credentials.
Though a conventional admissions analysis can suffice for many students, there remain those students who are unfairly characterized by standardized testing scores and GPAs. Despite a poor testing skills, many candidates are excellent students who otherwise can be valuable additions to an entering class of students. Many academic institutions have realized that the conventional admissions analysis can have an undesirable impact on otherwise qualified students. For example, the University of Miami has implemented a conditional acceptance program in which marginal students are invited to participate in an abbreviated academic program subsequent to the successful completion of which those marginal students are permanently admitted to the school. Nevertheless, only those students who have already applied for admission to the University of Miami are eligible to participate in the conditional acceptance program. Moreover, this type of conditional acceptance program only takes into account the deficiencies of a students academic record which in of itself, cannot identify a student who is not able otherwise to gain admission to an academic institution.
A method for admitting applicants into an academic institution in accordance with the inventive arrangements can assist admissions officers with identifying those admissions candidates possessing sub-par numeric credentials who would otherwise succeed as a student in an academic institution. In particular, the method can be used first to identify students who have expressed an interest in attending particular academic institution, but have heretofore been largely unsuccessful in gaining admission to most if not all of the academic institutions to which the students have applied. Second, those students can conditionally enroll in an abbreviated academic program in which the enrolled students can be evaluated based upon an examination process. Conditionally enrolled students who successfully complete the abbreviated academic program are determined to possess the ability to succeed as students in the academic institution and can be permanently enrolled therein.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method for admitting applicants into an academic institution can include the steps of: compiling a list of standardized test takers who have applied for admission to at least one academic institution, but have not received an offer of admission to any one of the at least one academic institutions; conditionally admitting selected ones of the test takers to an abbreviated academic program; subjecting the conditionally admitted test takers to at least one examination during the abbreviated academic program, each conditionally admitted test taker achieving a score on the at least one examination; and, admitting into the academic institution those conditionally admitted test takers who achieve a score on the at least one examination which satisfies an admissions criteria.
The step of conditionally admitting selected ones of the test takers to an abbreviated academic program can include the steps of: computing a shifting range of standardized test scores and grade point averages (GPAs) for the test takers; identifying those test takers having a standardized test score and GPA falling within the shifting range; and, conditionally admitting the identified test takers. The subjecting step can include the steps of administering at least one examination to the conditionally admitted test takers during the abbreviated academic program; scoring the at least one examination based on a calibrated grading process; and, for each conditionally admitted test taker, combining scores for the at least one examination, the combined scores forming a composite score. In addition, the subjecting step also can include the steps of: delivering a final examination on-line to conditionally admitted test takers situated in a remote testing facility; proctoring the examination at the remote testing facility; and, factoring resulting scores for the final examination into the composite score. Finally, the step of admitting into the academic institution those conditionally admitted test takers who achieve a score on the at least one examination which satisfies an admissions criteria can include the step of admitting into the academic institution those conditionally admitted test takers whose composite score exceeds a pre-determined composite score.
Notably, the method of the invention also can include the step of providing asynchronous instruction in at least one academic discipline to the conditionally admitted test takers. In particular, the step of providing asynchronous instruction can include the steps of: delivering electronic instructional content to remotely situated conditionally admitted test takers; receiving classroom work-product from the remotely situated conditionally admitted test takers; and, forwarding the received classroom work-product to at least one instructor. Likewise, the method of the invention also can include the step of providing synchronous instruction in at least one academic discipline to the conditionally admitted test takers. The step of providing synchronous instruction can include the steps of: delivering on-line instructional content to remotely situated conditionally admitted test takers; and, moderating on-line participation between the remotely situated conditionally admitted test takers and at least one instructor.
The method of the invention can find particular application to the field of law school admissions. Accordingly, in a particular aspect of the present invention, the compiling step can include the step of compiling a list of Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) test takers who have applied for admission to at least one law school, but have not received an offer of admission to any one of the at least one law schools. In addition, the step of conditionally admitting selected ones of the test takers to an abbreviated academic program can include the steps of: computing a shifting range of LSAT scores and undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs) for the test takers; identifying those LSAT test takers having an LSAT score and UGPA falling within the shifting range; and, conditionally admitting the identified test takers to an abbreviated law school program. Finally, the subjecting step can include administering at least one law school examination to the conditionally admitted LSAT test takers during the abbreviated academic program; scoring the at least one law school examination based on a calibrated grading process; and, for each conditionally admitted LSAT test taker, combining scores for the at least one law school examination, the combined scores forming a composite score.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for admitting applicants into an academic institution can include the steps of: identifying among a selection of standardized test takers, those test takers who have applied for admission to at least one academic institution and have received more rejections than offers of admission from the at least one academic institutions; extending to the identified test takers an offer of conditional admittance to the academic institution; enrolling in the academic institution at least one of the identified test takers who have accepted the extended offer; subjecting the at least one enrolled test taker to at least one examination; and grading the at least one examination, wherein the grading produces an examination score for the at least one enrolled test taker. Enrolled test takers who achieve an examination score which exceeds a pre-defined level are permitted to remain enrolled in the academic institution.
The extending step can include the steps of: computing a shifting range of standardized test scores and grade point averages (GPAs) for the test takers; selecting particular test takers having a standardized test score and GPA falling within the shifting range; and, extending to the selected particular test takers an offer of conditional admittance to the academic institution. The grading step can include the steps of: calibrating graders in a grading process; and, subjecting the at least one examination to the grading process, the grading process producing an examination score for the at least one enrolled test taker.
Notably, the method of the invention also can include the step of providing asynchronous instruction in at least one academic discipline to the enrolled test takers. In particular, the step of providing asynchronous instruction can include the steps of: delivering electronic instructional content to remotely situated enrolled test takers; receiving classroom work-product from the remotely situated enrolled test takers; and, forwarding the received classroom work-product to at least one instructor. Likewise, the method of the invention also can include the step of providing synchronous instruction in at least one academic discipline to the enrolled test takers. The step of providing synchronous instruction can include the steps of: delivering on-line instructional content to remotely situated enrolled test takers; and, moderating on-line participation between the remotely situated enrolled test takers and at least one instructor.
Importantly, the method of the invention can have broad application to a variety of graduate and undergraduate academic institutions. In particular, the method of the invention can be used to admit applicants to law schools, medical schools, schools of dental medicine, schools of veterinary medicine, pharmacy schools, business schools, etc. In view of these particular applications, the identifying step of the present invention can include the steps of: reviewing a selection of test takers who have taken one of the law school admissions test (LSAT), medical college admissions test (MCAT), dental admissions test (DAT), veterinary college admissions test (VCAT), pharmacy college admissions test (PCAT), allied health programs admissions test (AHPAT), graduate record examination (GRE), and the graduate management admission test (GMAT); and, identifying among the selection, those test takers who have applied for admission to at least one graduate school and have received more rejections than offers of admission from the at least one graduate schools.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a method for admitting applicants into an academic institution can include the steps of: compiling a list of standardized test takers who have applied for admission to at least one academic institution, but have not received an offer of admission to any one of the at least one academic institutions; electronically registering selected ones of the test takers in an abbreviated academic program; administering at least one examination over a computer communications network to the registered test takers during the abbreviated academic program, each registered test taker achieving a score on the at least one examination; and, electronically enrolling in the academic institution those registered test takers who achieve a score on the at least one examination which exceeds a pre-determined score. The method of the third aspect of the present invention can be embodied in a machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for admitting applicants into an academic institution. The computer program can have a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of the method. For instance, the machine readable storage can be a fixed storage such as a hard disk drive (HDD), compact disk (CD-ROM) or digital versatile disk (DVD).